The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-08-06
ADULTERATED PEPPER.
The Tricks of the Trade In the Indispenaa-
BILE Table Condiment Explained.

Die IaDlc COnulment Explained.
Government and newspaper investi-
cation into the adulteration of foods
can not be complete without some in
formation of the tricks of the pepper
trade. When the highest import duties
were placed upon spices. and particu-
larly on pepper, the adulteration of the
latter article was so general that fif-
teen years ago it would have been i'm
possible to purchase the real condiment
in any grocery store. Rice flour was
the principal adulterant used, but the
lowest grades were freely mixed with
common flour of all descriptions and
even with corn meal. When the duty
was taken off spices in 1884, the price
OF pepper was much reduced, and at
the same time an adulteration act was
passed in several States. The duty was
taken off pepper in the United Kingdom
ten years before that time, and in 1874
white pepper was sold at twelve and
thirteen cents a pound, black being
about half that price.
Low prices and decrease in the
adulteration greatly increased the con-
sumption of pepper in Great Britain.
Since 1881 the production of pepper
has been gradually decreasing, and the
volcanic disturbances which took place
in Java and in the Strait settlements in
1888 destroyed many pepper planta-
tons and spread general disaster
through the producing regions of the
East. Since then the price of pepper
has nearly doubled in consequence of
the short supply and manipulation by
London capitalists.
The market price of pepper is now as
high as it was with the duty; therefore
the adultcration business is again in a
flourishing condition. To-day it is
carried on with more slyness and tact
than formerly, and while pepper for
table use may be adulterated to the
extent of so per cent, the spice may be
sold as pure pepper. This may appear
strange to the uninitiated, but it is
easily explained. There are several
kinds of pepper. That usually sold for
table use is the one known to commerce
as black pepper and white pepper, both
the same article, only the white has
undergone a process of bleaching. The
market prices of these are fourteen to
fifteen and one-half cents and twenty
three to twenty-seven cents respect
lively. There is another kind of pepper.
known to commerce as long pepper,
| al ,L IL Il
This is not by any means so rich in
| pepperine--thea active element of pepper;
it contains ouly Ito per cent. against
$50 to 6 per cent in good Singapore
black or white pepper This long
pepper is used to considerable extent in
mixing with both black and white. In
some cases so per cent. is used. This
enables the seller to guarantee it rs
pure pepper, whereas it has hardly
more than third the actual strength
of the genuine article. While this
practice is almost universal in this
country, there has never been case
brought before the public by those who
| have the adulteration of food under
their care, and it is well known that
even those houses which boast of selling
pure spices are guilty to some extent of
the trick. A recent decision has been
made in Great Britain which now rem
| ders all dealers liable to fine who sell
any kind of pepper which has been re-
duced by the addition of cheaper grades.
Another trick is to grind common
ginger and mix it with pepper. This
reduces the strength of the pepper con-
siderably, and to get over this diff
Guilty there is an addition of ground
chillies, or what is commonly known
as red pepper, put in. Red pepper is
very strong and produces burning
sensation, and, while the commoncst
kind of black pepper is worth thirteen
cents on the market, good chilles for
grinding purposes can be bought for
six to six and a half cents. The differ
ence in price is quite an item, and
little goes a long way. If the con-
sumner gets very strong pepper, which
burns the palate. it is safe to SAY that it
is greatly adullerated by the AL ,ition
! first OF some cheap article devoid of
pepperine and then burned up, as it
were, with cheap red pepper.
Recently there has appeared another
adulterant named poivrette, which is
nothing else than ground olive stolas.
1t is worth one-half cent pound in It.
ally, and can be delivered here at about
double that figure. 1t is al most taste
less, and is similar in color to grOind
pepper, but perfectly useless Us spice.
1t has none of the redeemable features
of ginger. long pepper or chilIies, but
is a perfect fraud on the consumer.
For long time analysts were b i'll ID
to find simple test, but recently Dir.
j. Campbell Brown, of Liverpool, has
found one, The pepperis boiled until i'll
the starch is absorbed into the water.
Then more water is added to wash
the solid particles, which are then
strained and placed upon white sur
face. If there are yellow particles then
this shows the presence Of cooperate"
or ground olive stones. o. testing
them with the teeth, they will be found
| to he hard and gritty while the DeDDpr